Collective Action

Around 1,000 people gathered Saturday afternoon, marching from Hamra to Riad al-Solh Square to raise awareness of and protest against sexual harassment.

“It’s a duty, we’ve had enough of being silenced and feeling ashamed,” Joumana Haddad, a political activist, told The Daily Star.

Abir Zibane, a lawyer, moved to Lebanon from Dubai two years ago. She said that the political situation until the recent protests was depressing. “I have never felt Lebanese until these protests,” she said.

Another protester said that she attended the march following the recent news involving a Beirut man named Marwan Habib.

Habib has been accused of harassing and sexually assaulting dozens of women in Beirut over a period of more than four years.

Many have shared testimonies implicating Habib since Independence Day on Nov. 22, when he was participating in a civilian parade in Downtown Beirut.